Every week someone writes to me about a handle that has sat silent since 2015 while they operate under an underscore. The rules are stricter than people hope, and clearer than people fear.
Grounds that work
- A registered trademark that matches the handle, on the platform's records or yours.
- A legal name, for personal accounts, with a document to match.
- An established presence: the same name, verified or widely recognised, on other platforms.
- Impersonation. If the handle is being used to pretend to be you, the case is a takedown first and a claim second.
Grounds that do not
- Inactivity alone. Most platforms will not release a dormant handle to a stranger, whatever the last post date.
- Being first to ask, or asking often.
- An offer to buy. Purchased handles are against most terms, and the account can be pulled back after you pay.
- Someone at the platform who knows someone. There is no such route for hire.
How a claim runs
- The handle, the platform, and your grounds are checked against what that platform actually accepts. Some are workable, some are not, and you hear which before anything is filed.
- The evidence is assembled: registration certificates, identity, links to your presence elsewhere.
- The claim is filed through the platform's own route, under my name.
- If released, the handle is moved to you, and your name is reserved on the platforms where you are not yet present.
If your grounds are thin, I will tell you, and I will tell you what would make them strong. That is often a trademark filing, which is a smaller step than people expect.
